Last Minute Changes / News

I plan to post more short weekend walks (~ 5 miles or so, e.g. Bushy, Richmond parks, London Ring/Loop), starting again in a few weeks time (unless a volunteer would like to take over posting them sooner)

The start of leaf fall: see Nature Blog

Plans afoot for Scotland 2019 (see below).

Scotland 2019.....Achnasheen

The 2019 annual SWC Scottish trip will be to Glencarron near the small village of Achnasheen in Wester Ross on the western edge of the Highlands about an hour from Inverness. It will run from Saturday 25 May to Saturday 1 June 2019.  For more information, please contact goepfertkarenATyahooDOTcom.

The Sun: Living With Our Star at the Science Museum

Tonight, we are visiting the Science Museum taking advantage of the adult only late opening.  

The Sun: Living With Our Star tells the story of humankind’s dependence on, and ever changing understanding of, our star from golden solar religious artefacts in the Nordic Bronze Age (dating back to 1400 BC), to details of upcoming NASA and ESA solar missions.  Set at the centre of our solar system, the Sun's brilliant light shapes our sense of time, our health and our environment. The exhibition offers spectacular interactive experiences, unique artefacts and stunning imagery shed fresh light on humanity's relationship with our closest star.  

To book a ticket, please click here.  Book the 7:30pm slot.  Meet at the entrance to the exhibition at 7:25pm.  There will be a pre-exhibition F&B at 6pm - venue TBD but likely to be at Caluccio's South Kensington.  If you would like to come to dinner, please email swcsocialATgmailDOTcom before 24th Oct.

Sunday Walk - Hoo Peninsula, Cliffe Pools RSPB Reserve, Thames Estuary: Higham to Gravesend

Length: 18.5 km (11.5 mi)

Ascent/Descent: negligible; Net Walking Time: 4 hours

Toughness:  2/10

Take the 10.26 Rainham (Kent) Thameslink train from Kentish Town (calls St. Pancras 10.32, Farringdon, Blackfriars, London Bridge 10.48, Deptford, Greenwich etc.), arrives Higham 11.49.

You can also take the 10.52 Sittingbourne train from St. Pancras I’nal (Stratford I’nal 10.59), change Gravesend (11.17/11.43). High Speed surcharge needed!

Return trains from Gravesend: Stopping services to Charing X (via Hither Green) on xx.18 and xx.48; High Speed trains to St. Pancras (via Stratford) on xx.42, Thameslink services (via LBG and St. Pancras) on xx.59.

This is a flat walk on the periphery of the Hoo Peninsula in northern Kent that visits the RSPB Reserve at Cliffe Pools, one of the most important wildlife habitats in the UK. You also take lunch in the interesting village of Cliffe whose history can be traced back to Norman times and possibly earlier. At low tide the extensive estuary mud flats are exposed and there are more opportunities to view the bird life. This walk is best done in autumn or spring to get the best out of the bird-watching opportunities as you walk around the path bordering the huge lakes and mud-flats of Cliffe Pools and by the river Thames. It is not a typical countryside walk and you are aware of the industrial heritage of the area but the spectacular landscape of open water, marshes and big skies is evocative and atmospheric with a rich sense of history. There are gravel working operations at Cliffe Fort but this does not detract too much from the walk.

Lunch: The Six Bells in Cliffe (5.9 km/3.7 mi, food 12.00-18.00).

Tea: not much, how about a Costa Coffee?

For summary, map, height profile, photos, walk directions and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.209

Wednesday Walk - The Sussex Weald: Eridge to Forest Row or East Grinstead

Length: 17.5 km (10.9 mi) or 22.8 km (14.2 mi)

Ascent/Descent: 359/296 to Grinstead; Net Walking Time: 4 ¼ hours or 5 ½ hours

Toughness:  5/10 or 6/10

Take the 10.07 Uckfield train from London Bridge (East Croydon 10.22), arrives Eridge 11.03.

Return trains from East Grinstead: xx.06  and xx.36.

Buy an East Grinstead return (you may then have to buy a single Oxted – Eridge ticket on board).

After leaving the rural station at Eridge – shared with steam trains on the Spa Valley Railway – you are soon in the undulating countryside typical of the High Weald. At Mottsmill Stream the walk joins the High Weald Landscape Trail and follows this long-distance path through the Buckhurst Estate, with a glimpse of its grand house, Buckhurst Park. As you leave the estate you enter the small village of Withyham with its notable parish church, and the pub lunch the Dorset Arms.

A short stretch then takes you to the neighbouring village of Hartfield, associated with the author AA Milne and his most famous creation: coachloads of tourists regularly descend on Pooh Corner to buy all manner of Winnie-the-Pooh memorabilia. The walk then crosses the River Medway and climbs up the other side of the valley, with fine views across to Ashdown Forest. The descent into Forest Row goes through the co-operative enterprise of Tablehurst Farm.

You can either finish the walk here or complete an Extended Walk up the long gentle incline of the Forest Way, a popular cycle route along the track bed of a disused railway line. The hilltop town of East Grinstead has many old buildings dating back to the 14^thC, including Sackville College (a Jacobean almshouse) and the imposing St Swithun's Church.

Lunch: The Dorset Arms in Withyham (8.0 km/5.0 mi, lunch served to 14.30).

Tea: plenty options in Forest Row and Grinstead, check the webpage for details.

For summary, map, height profile, photos, walk directions and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.109

Evening Walk - Sculpture in the City

Length: 2.2 km

Net Walking Time: 1 ½ hrs      

Meet: Liverpool Street Mainline Station, Liverpool Street Exit, Kindertransport Memorial at 18.45 hours.

Finish is at Leadenhall Market. Liverpool Street, Bank/Monument, Aldgate/Aldgate East, Tower Hill and London Bridge tube stations are just a short walk away, as are Fenchurch Street, Liverpool Street and London Bridge mainline stations. All are in Zone 1.

The critically acclaimed Sculpture in the City is an annual exhibition showcasing contemporary works by internationally renowned artists in the confines of the City of London, on streets, in squares or on buildings. The exhibition usually opens around end June, and most sculptures are displayed until the following May.

2018 sees the eighth incarnation of this popular attraction, displaying 19 artworks by as many artists ranging considerably in scale – from large bronze sculptures, to soundworks – thoughtfully placed between iconic architectural landmarks such as the Gherkin (30 St. Mary Axe), the Walkie-Talkie (20 Fenchurch Street), the Lloyd’s-Building (aka the Inside-Out Building, at 12 Leadenhall Street) and the Cheese Grater (the Leadenhall Building). Wander the City's public spaces and stumble upon world-class public art, on an urban canvas recognised across the globe.

For more information on the exhibition click here.
For more information about the individual artworks and a map click here.

Eat/Drink:  Leadenhall Market features a total of 23 pubs, delis, bars, brasseries and restaurants. For more details click here.

For walk directions, map, photos, and gpx/kml files click here. T=short.24